Preparation and electrical properties of metal sulfides–amidoximated PAN composite film

To improve the electrical conductivity of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) film, metallic sulfides and PAN composite film were prepared by the chelating method. Dense PAN film and porous PAN film were prepared by dry process and wet process, respectively. These PAN films were treated to NH₂OH solution to introduce the amidoxime group coordinated with metallic ion. Cu⁺² and Cd⁺² ions were adsorbed to amidoximated PAN films, the sulfur ion was treated with metal-adsorbed PAN films, and thus CuS—and CdS–PAN composite films were prepared. The adsorptive capacity of amidoximated PAN film for the Cu⁺² ion was independent of the morphology of the PAN film, but the adsorptive capacity of the Cd⁺² ion on amidoximated PAN film was dependent on porosity of the polymer. Adsorptive capacity of amidoximated porous PAN film for Cd⁺² was improved about four times than that of amidoximated dense PAN film. The electrical conductivities of CuS–dense and porous PAN composite film were both 10^?1 S/cm in optimum condition, but because of the difference in adsorptive capacity, the electrical conductivities of CdS–dense and CdS–porous PAN composite films were 10^?9 S/cm and 10^?4 S/cm, respectively. Additionally, because CdS was known as a photoconductive material, the photoconductive properties of CdS–porous PAN composite film were investigated.     

Use of MWNTs‐COOH to improve thermal energy storage and release rates of capric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic/polyacrylonitrile form‐stable phase change composite fibrous membranes

A series of novel capric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic/polyacrylonitrile/carboxyl purified multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CA–PA–SA/PAN/MWNTs‐COOH) form‐stable phase change composite fibrous membranes (PCCFMs) were fabricated by electrospinning and physical absorption methods. In these form‐stable PCCFMs, the CA–PA–SA ternary eutectic was served as phase change material for thermal energy storage, and the loaded MWNTs‐COOH was acted as thermal conductivity enhancement filler to improve heat transfer rates, as well as electrospun PAN/MWNTs‐COOH fibrous membranes with different weight fractions of MWNTs‐COOH (i.e., 5, 10, and 20 wt%) were used as supporting materials to provide structural strength and prevent liquid leakage of melted CA–PA–SA ternary eutectic. The morphological structure and thermal performances were investigated and analyzed. The images of scanning electron microscopy showed that the CA–PA–SA ternary eutectic was uniformly embedded and dispersed into the three‐dimensional porous network structure of electrospun PAN/MWNTs‐COOH fibrous membranes. Thermal performance tests suggested that the melting and freezing times of the CA–PA–SA/PAN/MWNTs‐COOH form‐stable PCCFMs with the addition of 10 wt% MWNTs‐COOH were significantly shorten by about 52% and 56% in comparison with those of the CA–PA–SA/PAN form‐stable PCCFMs. Their phase change temperatures and enthalpies were about 7°C–32°C and 130–138 kJ/kg, respectively. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E403–E411, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Amphiphilic poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐acrylic acid)/silver nanocomposite additives for the preparation of antibiofouling membranes with improved properties

This work focuses the preparation of polymer‐silver nanocomposite (Ag‐Nc) dense free standing films and nonwoven fabric supported porous ultrafiltration membranes with improved membrane performance and long‐term antibiofouling properties. New polyacrylonitrle‐based Ag‐Ncs, poly(acrylonitrle‐co‐acrylic acid)‐silver (PAN‐co‐PAA‐Ag) containing 35 wt% of PAA and 0.35–0.65 wt% of Ag‐nanoparticles (Nps) were synthesized and used as additives for the fabrication of PAN‐based (PAN/PAN‐co‐PAA‐Ag) Ag‐Nc porous membranes and dense‐free standing films. The Ag‐Nps were homogeneously dispersed into the PAN‐co‐PAA random copolymer matrix. The prepared membranes (PAN/PAN‐co‐PAA‐Ag) showed combination of properties such as excellent antimicrobial activity towards both Gram Negative and Gram Positive bacteria (prevent biofilm formation), improved protein antifouling properties, and enhanced water flux when compared to neat PAN‐based membrane. The antimicrobial properties, hydrophilicity, and the water flux of various membranes follow the following order for the membranes PAN < PAN/PAN‐co‐PAA < PAN/PAN‐co‐PAA‐Ag. Extraneous addition of small amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG) during preparation of additive i.e. [PEG + PAN‐co‐PAA]‐Ag further improved the protein antifouling properties of the PAN‐based membranes (PAN/[PEG+PAN‐co‐PAA‐Ag]). The dispersed Ag‐Nps were stable on the surface of phase inverted membranes for long period of time and PAN/PAN‐co‐PAA‐Ag membranes are therefore suitable for long‐term water treatment under bacterial environment. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A conducting composite based on poly(N‐vinylcarbazole)–formalin resin and acetylene black

A poly(N‐vinylcarbazole) (PNVC)–formalin (FO) resin (PNVC‐FO) was prepared via copolycondensation between N‐vinylcarbazole (NVC) and FO in the presence of dry HCl gas in toluene medium at 110°C. A highly conducting composite of PNVC‐FO resin with nanodimensional acetylene black (AB) was prepared by carrying out the polycondensation reaction in presence of a suspension of acetylene black (AB) in toluene. The inclusion of PNVC in the PNVC‐FO‐AB composite was confirmed by FT‐IR analysis. Scanning electron microscopic analyses of PNVC‐FO resin and PNVC‐FO‐AB composite revealed formation of spherical particles and aggregates of irregular shapes respectively. Thermogravimetric analyses revealed the overall stability order as: AB > PNVC‐FO‐AB composite > PNVC‐FO resin > PNVC homopolymer. In sharp contrast to PNVC and PNVC‐FO resin, which were both nonconducting (10^?12 to 10^?16 S/cm), the conductivity of the composites reached values between 0.75 S/cm and 6.54 S/cm corresponding to AB loading of 28–49 wt % respectively. Temperature versus conductivity studies revealed an initial increase in conductivity upto 200°C and current–voltage characteristics of the PNVC‐FO‐AB composite showed a linear trend consistent with Ohmic behavior. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 3837–3843, 2007     

Fabrication of PAN/PHCS adsorptive UF membranes with enhanced performance for dichlorophenol removal from water

A series of novel polyacrylonitrile (PAN) adsorptive UF membranes were prepared via the nonsolvent induced phase inversion method using adsorbent‐amphiphilic porous hollow carbonaceous microspheres (PHCSs) as additive. The resulted PAN/PHCS membranes were demonstrated to have better mechanical strength than the pure PAN membrane. The water fluxes of the PAN/PHCS membranes were slightly decrease; however, the rejections to pepsin were maintained at a high level (81–86%). The properties of the PAN/PHCS membranes for 2,4‐dichlorophenol removal from water were investigated. The results showed that 2,4‐dichlorophenol could be rapidly removed from water via adsorption mechanism by PAN/PHCS membranes, and the maximum reduction efficiency was up to 70%. The adsorption of 2,4‐dichlorophenol to the membranes was reversible and the membranes could be regenerated facilely by water washing. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40837.     

Microstructural characterization of short glass fiber and PAN based carbon fiber reinforced nylon 6 polymer composites

Microstructural characterization of nylon 6/short glass fiber (SGF) and nylon 6/polyacrolonitrile based carbon fibers (PAN‐CFs) of 10 to 40 wt% has been performed by positron lifetime technique (PLT). The positron lifetime parameters viz., o‐Ps lifetime (τ₃), o‐Ps intensity (I₃), and fractional free volume (F_v) of nylon 6/SGF and nylon 6/PAN‐CF composites are correlated with the mechanical properties viz., tensile strength and Young's modulus. The F_v shows negative deviation with the reinforcement of 10 to 40 wt% of PAN‐CF and show positive deviation in nylon 6/SGF from the linear additivity relation. The negative deviation in nylon 6/PAN‐CF composite suggests the induced molecular packing due to the chemical interaction between the polymeric chains of nylon 6 and PAN‐CF. The positive deviation in nylon 6/SGF composite indicates the formation of interface between the polymeric chains of nylon 6 and SGF. The increased crystallinity of nylon 6/SGF and nylon 6/PAN‐CF composites shows the improved mechanical properties of the composites. The hydrodynamic interaction parameter (h), which shows more negative values in nylon 6/SGF than nylon 6/PAN‐CF composites. However, the extent of chemical interaction in nylon 6/SGF is less compare to nylon 6/PAN‐CF composites. This is evident from Fourier transform infrared spectrometry studies. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1428–1437, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Chemically clean synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide‐poly(acrylic acid–sodium styrene sulfonate) composite thermostable elastic gel encapsulating copper nanoparticles for efficient catalytic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol

The thermostable chemically blended elastic poly‐(acrylic acid–sodium‐styrene‐sulfonate–graphene oxide) super‐absorbent hydrogel was synthesized by additive‐free gamma‐radiation induced polymerization followed by crosslinking method. It showed the best swelling ratio in water due to its porous nature. The composite material adsorbed 98 mg/g Cu(II) at room temperature from the aqueous solution of Cu(II) at pH 5 by the chemi‐adsorption of Cu(II) ions at several energetically heterogeneous functional groups. The copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) of size 12 ± 8 nm had been synthesized in situ by chemical reduction of the pre‐adsorbed Cu(II) ions. The functional groups of composite hydrogel served as complexing agent and nano‐reaction sites. Avoiding any pre‐reduction induction time, the inexpensive CuNPs catalytically completely decolorized the aqueous solution of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP) within 60 s in the presence of NaBH₄ at a promising calculated rate constant (9.0 × 10^?2/s) ever reported in the literatures. It is in contrast to the commonly noticeable phenomenon for other CuNPs‐based catalysis of 4‐NP. The composite hydrogel matrix helped to retain the catalytic activity of CuNPs and simultaneously it helped in the osmotic inclusion of 4‐NP into the reaction cites. This composite hydrogel synthesized through a chemically clean method could be utilized for efficient conversion of hazardous chemical 4‐NP to industrially important chemical 4‐aminophenol. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46200.     

Comparative behavior of PVA/PAN and PVA/PES composite pervaporation membranes in the pervaporative dehydration of caprolactam

Flat‐sheet composite membranes were developed by the traditional phase inversion technique using poly;(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). PVA composite pervaporation (PV) membranes were prepared with crosslinked PVA selective layer and porous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polyether sulfone (PES) substrate layer material as supports for separating heat sensitivity substance ε‐caprolactam (CPL) from CPL/water mixtures. Glutaraldehyde was used as crosslinking agent. The effect of the composition of glutaraldehyde on membrane stability and structure were investigated. The operating parameters, such as feed concentration and operating temperature, remarkably affected PV performance of the composite membranes. The composite membranes with PVA casted on PAN (PVA/PAN) showed superior PV performance than that casted on PES (PVA/PES). This study has also shown that the type of porous support plays an important role in the PV performance. As a result, this work has presented the information needed of the behavior of PV membranes for dehydration applications of industrial caprolactam. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 4005–4011, 2007     

A conducting nanocomposite of acetylene black with preformed poly‐N‐vinylcarbazole crosslinked by anhydrous FeCl3

A conducting nanocomposite of crosslinked poly‐N‐vinylcarbazole (CLPNVC) with nanodimensional acetylene black (AB) was prepared by oxidative crosslinking of preformed PNVC through pendant carbazole moieties in presence of anhydrous FeCl₃ as an oxidant and AB suspension in CHCl₃ medium at 65°C. The incorporation of CLPNVC moieties in the CLPNVC‐AB composite was endorsed by Fourier transform infrared analysis. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed formation of lumpy aggregates with average sizes in the 130–330 nm ranges. The thermal stability of the CLPNVC‐AB composite was appreciably higher than that of the PNVC‐AB composite. The direct current conductivities of the composites were significantly enhanced relative to that of the PNVC homopolymer (10^?12–10^?16 S/cm) and varied in the range of 10^?4–10^?2 S/cm depending on the amount of AB loading in the CLPNVC‐AB composite. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 819–824, 2006     

Guanine oxidation signal enhancement in single strand DNA with polyacrylonitrile/polyaniline (PAN/PAni) hybrid nanofibers

Pure polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polyacrylonitrile/polyaniline (PAN/PAni) hybrid nanofibers (NFs) were produced via electrospinning and used to monitor guanine oxidation in single strand DNA (ssDNA) by electrochemical methods. Two different methodologies were conducted. First, pre‐synthesized PAni was added into electrospinning PAN solution and electrospun into composite PAN/PAni nanofibrous structure on cylindrical pencil graphite (PGE) surface. In the second route, PAN NFs were electrospun on a PGE surfaces and polymerization of PAni was conducted on the surfaces of the as‐spun PAN NFs. NFs were kept at ?18 °C in a refrigerator for several days. ssDNA was immobilized on the prepared NFs and guanine oxidation signals were observed for each system. The results revealed that use of PAN NFs enhanced signal intensity from 0.92 µA (PGE) to 1.04 µA (PAN NFs). Addition of PAni to PAN increased signal intensity to 1.23 µA. When the PAN NF surfaces were coated with PAni, signal enhancement continued to increase up to 4.19 µA for fourth day and decreased again when PAni‐coated NFs were kept at ?18 °C in the refrigerator. Since the prepared system is fast and cheap, it is promising for application in DNA biosensor devices. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45567.     

Development of multiwalled‐carbon‐nanotube‐welded carbon fibers and evaluation of the interfacial strength in epoxy composites

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)‐welded carbon fibers (CFs) were prepared by a three‐step process, which included polyacrylonitrile (PAN) coating, MWCNT absorption, and heat treatment. The structure of these materials was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The MWCNTs were uniformly assembled on the surface of the PAN‐coated CFs and welded by a PAN‐based carbon layer after heat treatment. The contact angle of the MWCNT‐welded CFs in the epoxy resins was 41.70°; this was 22.35% smaller than that of the unsized CFs. The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of the MWCNT‐welded CF–epoxy composite was 83.15 MPa; this was 28.89% higher than that of the unsized CF–epoxy composite. The increase in the IFSS was attributed to the enhancement of adhesions between the CFs and polymer matrix through the welding of the MWCNTs on the CFs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45027.     

Studies on the synthesis of electrospun PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers for antibacterial application

We have successfully synthesized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers impregnated with Ag nanoparticles by electrospinning method at room temperature. Briefly, the PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning PAN (10% w/v) in dimethyl formamide (DMF) solvent containing silver nitrate (AgNO₃) in the amounts of 8% by weight of PAN. The silver ions were reduced into silver particles in three different methods i.e., by refluxing the solution before electrospinning, treating with sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), as reducing agent, and heating the prepared composite nanofibers at 160°C. The prepared PAN nanofibers functionalized with Ag nanoparticles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), SEM elemental detection X‐ray analysis (SEM‐EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (UV‐VIS) analytical techniques. UV‐VIS spectra analysis showed distinct absorption band at 410 nm, suggesting the formation of Ag nanoparticles. TEM micrographs confirmed homogeneous dispersion of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of PAN nanofibers, and particle diameter was found to be 5–15 nm. It was found that all the three electrospun PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers showed strong antibacterial activity toward both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. However, the antibacterial activity of PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers membrane prepared by refluxed method was most prominent against S. aureus bacteria. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Polyacrylonitrile and Carbon Nanofibers with Controllable Nanoporous Structures by Electrospinning

In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanofibers with controllable nanoporous structures were successfully prepared via electrospinning technique. For the preparation of porous PAN nanofibers, two kinds of polymers of PAN and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were used as electrospun precursor materials, and then the bicomponent nanofibers of PAN and PVP were extracted with water to remove the PVP in the composite polymer nanofibers. By altering the ratio of PAN/PVP in the precursor, the pore size and pore distribution of porous PAN nanofibers could be easily controlled. By using the porous PAN nanofibers as structures directing template and through heat treatment, carbon nanofibers with nanoporous structures were obtained. The porous nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), differential thermal analyses (DTA), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectra.

     

Wet-spinning assembly of continuous and macroscopic graphene oxide/polyacrylonitrile reinforced composite fibers with enhanced mechanical properties and thermal stability

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite microfibers with different contents of graphene oxide (GO) were fabricated via wet-spinning route in this work. Based on nonsolvent-induced phase separation theory, N,N-dimethyl formamide/water mixture system was employed as coagulation bath, nonsolvent (water) diffused into PAN spinning solution and led to a quick PAN fiber solidification. Nematic liquid crystal state of GO dispersions and GO/PAN spinning solutions were determined via polarized optical microscopy images, and the morphology and structure of the composite fibers were characterized via scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and X-ray diffraction. 1 wt % GO/PAN composite fibers exhibited outstanding mechanical properties, 40% enhancement in tensile strength and 34% enhancement in Young's modulus compared with pure PAN fiber. The results of dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that the composite fiber with 1 wt % GO performed the best thermal mechanical property with 5.5 GPa and 0.139 in storage modulus and loss tangent, respectively. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal stability of the composite fibers enhanced with the increasing GO contents. GO/PAN composite fibers can be as the candidate of carbon fiber precursor, high performance fibers, and textiles applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 46950.     

Effect of weak reductant on properties of electroless copper polyacrylonitrile nanocomposites for electromagnetic interference shielding

In this work, the electroless copper method with different reductant compositions (NaHSO₃/Na₂ S₂O₃·5H₂O and Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O) without sensitizing and activating, was used to deposit copper‐sulfide deposition on the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) surface for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. The weak reductant, NaHSO₃, in the electroless copper method was used to control the phase of copper‐sulfide deposition. The Cu_x(x=1–1.8)S was deposited on the PAN (Cu_xS‐PAN) by reductant composition (NaHSO₃/Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O) and the Cu_x(x=1–1.8)S deposition of Cu_xS‐PAN possesses three kinds of copper‐sulfide phases (CuS, Cu_1.75S and Cu_1.8S). However, the electroless copper with reductant was only Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O (without weak reductant, NaHSO₃), the hexagonal CuS deposition was plated on the PAN (CuS‐PAN) and increased the EMI shielding effectiveness of CuS‐PAN composites about 10–15 dB. In this study, the best EMI SE of CuS‐PAN and Cu_xS‐PAN composites were about 27–30 dB and 15–17 dB respectively, as the cupric ion concentration was 0.24 M. The volume resistivity of CuS‐PAN composite was about 1000 times lower than that of Cu_xS‐PAN composite and lowest volume resistivity of CuS‐PAN composites was 0.012 Ω cm, as the cupric ion concentration was 0.24 M. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Carbon fibers derived from wet‐spinning of equi‐component lignin/polyacrylonitrile blends

Equi‐component blends of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and lignin, i.e., with a lignin content as large as 50 wt %, were successfully used as precursors to produce carbon fibers. Rheological measurements demonstrated that increasing lignin content in spinning solution reduced shear viscosity and normal stress, indicating a decrease of viscoelastic behavior. This was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared results that show no discernable chemical reaction or crosslinking between PAN and lignin in the solution. However, the resulting carbon fibers display a large I_D/I_G ratio (by Raman spectroscopy) indicating a larger disordered as compared to that from pure PAN. The macro‐voids in the lignin/PAN blend fibers typically generated during wet‐spinning were eliminated by adding lignin in the coagulant bath to counter‐balance the out‐diffusion of lignin. Carbon fibers resulting from lignin/PAN blends with 50 wt % lignin content displayed a tensile strength and modulus of 1.2 ± 0.1 and 130 ± 3 GPa, respectively, establishing that the equi‐component wet‐spun L/P‐based carbon fibers possessed tensile strength and modulus higher than 1 and 100 GPa. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45903.     

Improving Mechanical Properties of Carbon/Epoxy Composite by Incorporating Functionalized Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers

Electrospun functionalized polyacrylonitrile grafted glycidyl methacrylate (PAN‐g‐GMA) nanofibers are incorporated between the plies of a conventional carbon fiber/epoxy composite to improve the composite's mechanical performance. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) is successfully grafted onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer powder via a free radical mechanism. Characterization of the electrospun PAN and PAN‐g‐GMA nanofibers indicates that the grafting of GMA does not significantly alter the tensile properties of the PAN nanofibers but results in an increase in the diameter of nanofibers. Statistical analysis of the mechanical characterization studies on PAN‐carbon/epoxy hybrid composites conclusively shows that the composite reinforced with functionalized PAN nanofibers has greater mechanical properties than that of both the neat PAN nanofiber enriched hybrid composite and control composite (without nanofibers). The improved performance is attributed to the grafted glycidyl groups on PAN, leading to stronger interactions between the nanofibers and the epoxy matrix. PAN‐g‐GMA nanofiber reinforced composite outperforms their neat PAN counterparts in tensile strength, short beam shear strength, flexural strength, and Izod impact energy absorption by 8%, 9%, 6%, and 8%, respectively. Compared to the control composite, the improvements resulting from the PAN‐g‐GMA nanofiber incorporation are even more pronounced at 28%, 41%, 32%, and 21% in the corresponding tests, respectively.

     

Swelling behavior and pervaporation properties of new composite membrane systems: Porous polyethylene film‐poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel

A new type of composite membrane for pervaporation has been developed. These membranes were prepared by free‐radical copolymerization of acrylic acid with a macromolecular polyfunctional crosslinker (allylhydroxyethylcellulose) inside the porous polyethylene (PE) film. It was shown that the porous structure of the PE matrix is filled with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), and a layer of acid is formed on the film surface. To investigate the effect of the porous matrix on the composite membrane properties, a hydrogel membrane of crosslinked PAA was also prepared without the matrix using the same procedure. PAA in both membranes was in the neutralized form (K⁺). Swelling behavior of the membranes and their separation characteristics for pervaporation were investigated in water–ethanol solutions depending on the ethanol concentration. All membranes exhibited a high degree of equilibrium swelling (Q = 20–50 g/g) in dilute ethanol solutions (0–30 vol %), and Q sharply dropped to 1.5–2 g/g at a EtOH concentration of 30–40 vol % due to collapse of the gel. All membranes under study were highly permeable and selective to water over a wide range of ethanol concentrations in the feed (50–96 vol %), but composite membranes had a higher separation factor due to the restriction effect of the matrix porous structure on swelling of PAA(K⁺) inside the pores. However, composite membranes were characterized by a lower permeation rate, compared to the crosslinked PAA membranes without a matrix, because of their lower effective surface for diffusion. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1461–1465, 2004     

Ionic interactions in polyacrylonitrile/polypyrrole conducting polymer composite

A conducting polymer composite was prepared by the postpolymerization of pyrrole in a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) matrix film. To enhance the electrostatic interaction between the two phases, a small amount of a sulfonate or a carboxylate (COO⁻) group was incorporated into the PAN structure. The presence of electrostatic interaction between the conducting polypyrrole and the anion-containing PAN copolymer was elucidated by examination of the morphology and the electrical properties of the composite. The aromatic sulfonate-containing matrix provided the composite with the best results in the electrical conductivity, the environmental stability of conductivity, and the morphological property. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 69: 2641–2648, 1998     

Effect of interface and confinement size on the crystallization behavior of PLLA confined in coaxial electrospun fibers

Poly(l ‐lactide)/polyacrylonitrile (PLLA/PAN) core‐sheath composite fibers were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning. The crystallization behavior of PLLA within the coaxial electrospun fibers was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The PLLA/PAN coaxial electrospun fiber with a PLLA diameter of ～32 nm (C1) exhibits a crystallization temperature (T_c) of 22.5 °C higher but a cold‐crystallization temperature (T_cc) of 10 °C lower than bulk PLLA. The crystallinity of C1 fiber is also higher than bulk PLLA. In both isothermal melt‐ and cold‐crystallization, PLLA in C1 fiber crystallizes faster than the bulk PLLA, as revealed by the smaller half crystallization times (t_1/2). The enhanced crystallizability of PLLA in the C1 fiber may be attributed to the increased nuclei number and crystal growth rate induced by the PAN surface, i.e., surface‐induction effect. However, PLLA also suffers a nano‐confinement effect exerted by PAN sheath in the coaxial electrospun fiber, which can suppress PLLA crystallization. When the diameter of PLLA is too small (< 32 nm), the nano‐confinement effect may prevail over the surface‐induction effect, leading to a slower crystallization rate and smaller crystallinity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45980.